Additively manufactured cooling assemblies for thermal and/or mechanical systems, and methods for manufacturing the assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11112839-B2
Application number	US-201916271220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2019
Priority date	Oct 1, 2018
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A multi-domain cooling assembly configured to be coupled with one or more heat sources includes a body having an outer surface and at least one cooling chamber disposed inside the body. The at least one cooling chamber extends in at least two orthogonal dimensions and includes a working fluid to extract thermal energy from the one or more heat sources. The assembly includes a cooling channel disposed within the body and fluidly coupled with a passageway that carries cooling fluid into and out of the cooling channel. At least a portion of the cooling fluid is a liquid phase, a gas phase, or a liquid-gas mix phase. The cooling channel is fluidly separate from the at least one cooling chamber. The cooling channel is thermally coupled with the at least one cooling chamber. The at least one cooling chamber transfers thermal energy from the working fluid to the cooling fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-domain cooling assembly configured to be coupled with one or more heat sources, the multi-domain cooling assembly comprising:
a body comprising an outer surface;
at least one cooling chamber disposed inside the body, the at least one cooling chamber comprising walls that are disposed inside the body and extend around and enclose the at least one cooling chamber entirely within the body, the least one cooling chamber extending in at least two orthogonal dimensions and including a working fluid configured to extract thermal energy from the one or more heat sources; and
a cooling channel disposed within the body, the cooling channel being defined by channel walls that extend through the body from a first side to a second side of the body and fluidly couple the cooling channel with a passageway that is configured to carry cooling fluid into and out of the cooling channel, wherein at least a portion of the cooling fluid is configured to be a liquid phase, a gas phase, or a liquid-gas mix phase, the cooling channel further including at least one conduit extension that extends away from the channel walls of the cooling channel and toward the one or more heat sources, the at least one conduit extension being configured (i) to direct the cooling fluid from the cooling channel and toward the one or more heat sources and (ii) to direct the cooling fluid away from the one or more heat sources and toward the cooling channel,
wherein the cooling channel is fluidly separate from the at least one cooling chamber, and
wherein the cooling channel is thermally coupled with the at least one cooling chamber, wherein the at least one cooling chamber is configured to transfer thermal energy from the working fluid to the cooling fluid.

2. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling chamber is a thermal energy storage reservoir enclosed within the body of the cooling assembly, wherein the thermal energy storage reservoir is thermally coupled with the cooling channel.

3. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 2 , wherein the working fluid disposed within the thermal energy storage reservoir is a phase change material, wherein the phase change material is configured to change between a solid phase and a liquid phase.

4. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling channel is configured to direct the cooling fluid in one or more different directions within the body of the cooling assembly.

5. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling chamber is a conformal vapor chamber enclosed within the body, wherein the working fluid disposed within the conformal vapor chamber is a liquid phase and a gas phase of the working fluid.

6. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 5 , wherein the working fluid is configured to change between the liquid phase and the gas phase of the working fluid as the conformal vapor chamber extracts thermal energy from the one or more heat sources.

7. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 5 , wherein the walls of the conformal vapor chamber comprise hermetic walls extending around and defining the enclosed conformal vapor chamber.

8. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the hermetic walls of the conformal vapor chamber is a non-planar wall.

9. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid is configured to change between a liquid phase and a gas phase as the cooling fluid extracts thermal energy from the working fluid disposed within the at least one cooling chamber.

10. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the body comprises one or more surfaces, wherein one or more of the surfaces is a non-planar surface.

11. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the channel walls is a non-planar wall.

12. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling channel is a first cooling channel, the cooling assembly further comprising a second cooling channel fluidly coupled with the first cooling channel, wherein the first cooling channel is configured to direct the cooling fluid from the first cooling channel to the second cooling channel through one or more impingement holes.

13. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first cooling channel is configured to extend in a first direction, and the second cooling channel is configured to extend in a different, second direction.

14. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body includes at least two cooling chambers, wherein a first cooling chamber is a thermal energy storage reservoir enclosed within the body of the cooling assembly, and a second cooling chamber is a conformal vapor chamber.

15. The multi-domain cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling chamber and the cooling channel are configured to be additively manufactured within the body of the cooling assembly.

16. A multi-domain cooling assembly configured to be coupled with one or more heat sources, the cooling assembly comprising:
a body comprising an outer surface;
a cooling channel disposed inside the body, the cooling channel being defined by channel walls that extend through the body from a first side to a second side of the body and fluidly couple the cooling channel with a passageway that is configured to carry cooling fluid into and out of the cooling channel, wherein at least a portion of the cooling fluid is configured to be a liquid phase, a gas phase, or a liquid-gas mix phase, the cooling channel extending in at least two orthogonal dimensions, and the cooling channel further including at least one conduit extension that extends away from the channel walls of the cooling channel and toward the one or more heat sources, the at least one conduit extension being configured (i) to direct the cooling fluid from the cooling channel and toward the one or more heat sources and (ii) to direct the cooling fluid away from the one or more heat sources and toward the cooling channel;
one or more of (i) a conformal vapor chamber that is disposed within the body and configured to hold a first working fluid inside the conformal vapor chamber, the conformal vapor chamber comprising walls that are disposed inside the body and extend around and enclose the conformal vapor chamber entirely within the body; and (ii) a thermal energy storage reservoir that is disposed within the body and includes a second working fluid, the thermal energy storage reservoir comprising walls that are disposed inside the body and extend around and enclose the thermal energy storage reservoir entirely within the body,
wherein the one or more of the conformal vapor chamber and the thermal energy storage reservoir is configured to be thermally coupled with the cooling channel such that the one or more of the conformal vapor chamber and the thermal energy storage reservoir directs thermal energy from the one or more heat sources to the cooling channel.

17. The cooling assembly of claim 16 , wherein the cooling channel is configured to direct the cooling fluid in one or more different directions within the body of the cooling assembly.

18. The cooling assembly of claim 16 , wherein the cooling assembly includes the conformal vapor chamber and the thermal energy storage reservoir, wherein the cooling channel, the thermal energy storage reservoir, and the conformal vapor chamber are configured to be additively manufactured within the body of the cooling assembly.

19

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Rush Brian Magann
• Bourassa Corey
• Gerstler William Dwight
• Mandrusiak Gary

Classifications

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title

• F28D2021/0021

  for aircrafts or cosmonautics · CPC title

• G06F1/20 Primary

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20336

  Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps · CPC title

• F28D2021/0029

  Heat sinks · CPC title